Alden and Allene G. Hatch Papers
1900 [bulk 1933 – 1975] – 2002

Scope and Content: The Alden and Allene Hatch Papers include manuscripts and related materials, such as notes, correspondence, tapes and transcripts of interviews of the published and unpublished works of Alden Hatch and to a lesser extent the work of his wife, Allene Gaty Hatch. In addition to their professional work, some personal papers, including appointment books, diaries, correspondence, and family material are included.

Papers emanate from approximately thirty books by Alden Hatch, primarily biographies of contemporary individuals, but also company histories, two novels, and publications for juveniles. Some of Hatch’s works were written independently, some in collaboration with the subjects, and some ghost written, without any acknowledgment. Hatch’s subjects include American presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight David Eisenhower, other political figures including Wendell Willkie, Clare Booth Luce, the Byrd family of Virginia and the Lodges of Massachusetts, first ladies Edith Bolling Wilson and Mamie Eisenhower, and religious figures Pope Pius XIII, John XXIII, Paul VI, and Brother Andre. International subjects include Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and the Nehru and Mountbatten families. Other subjects are Martin Luther King, aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss, sportsman Foxhall Keene, General George Patton, an Aleut Indian named Nutchuk, the Wadsworth family of New York, the Ringling Brothers, the American Express Company, and Remington Arms. Manuscripts of his two novels, Gaming Lady and Glass Walls, and of a semi-autobiographical juvenile work, Bridle-wise, are included. Also included are magazine articles, a number of short pieces, both fiction and non-fiction, an "Autobiography," and several unpublished works.

At the time of his death, Alden, together with Allene, was writing a biography of Marjorie Merriweather Post. This work was completed and rewritten by Allene and forms a major part of the Allene Hatch portion of the papers. Allene's other writing include a book on menopause, published in Dutch, several shorter writings, published in magazines and newspapers, and numerous illustrations. The 2002 accession (Ms. 77B) includes manuscripts of her later works, The Best of Times (2002), a memoir of her life with Alden, and an unpublished memoir of her personal life after his death. Mrs. Hatch’s artistic work includes illustrations for several of Alden’s books.

Biographical notes: Alden Hatch was born Sept. 26, 1898, in New York, the son of Frederick Horace and May Palmer Daly Hatch. Because of a crippling disease, he was primarily home educated. He was first married to Ruth Brown (1932) and later to Allene Gaty. His writing career began with fiction, often published under pseudonyms, in pulp magazines. He wrote two novels before embarking upon his career as biographer and historian. Hatch is listed in Who Was Who in America (v. 6, p. 185).

Allene Hatch was born in 1926, the daughter of John P. and Jeanne Gaty. She married Alden Hatch in 1950. She lives in New York City. She is frequently referred to in the Papers and in this guide by her nickname, "Squeaky."

Provenance: The Smathers Libraries acquired the Hatch Papers in several accessions. The first was the papers and tapes relating to We Nehrus by Krishna Nehru Nutheesing with Alden Hatch (Group 40). These were presented to the university by Hatch in 1968. The second and largest acquisition (Group 77, old series) was received in March, 1975. These papers had earlier been deposited in the New College Library and were transferred from there. An additional accession was made in 1996 (Group 77, series 2) from the Hatch home in New York. The second series generally supplements the material in the earlier accessions, but also includes manuscripts and material from Hatch’s last book, Buckminster Fuller at Home in the Universe (1974), Allene's papers, and additional personal. A third series, acquired in 2002 (Group 77/Series 3 and Group 77B) includes additional papers relating to Alden and Allene and her later manuscripts and drawings.

Related manuscripts: Evidence in the Papers indicates that manuscripts of The Byrds of Virginia were donated to Virginia Commonwealth University and manuscripts of some papal biographies to St. Leo’s College.

Restrictions: All papers and research information relating to Bernhard, Prince of the Netherlands are restricted and not available for research until after his death.

Copyright: Allene Gaty Hatch has retained copyright. Her permission is required to publish from her work and from that of Alden Hatch. Other material, such as the contents of interviews, may be restricted by other copyright owners.

Alden Hatch Contents